Method of and apparatus for feeding liquid fuel to internal-combustion engines.



C. W. BAKER. METHOD 0F AND APPARATUS F-DR FEEDING LlQUlD FUEL TDINTERNAL COMBUSTIDN ENGINES. y

ARPUCATION FILED IULYSI, 1913.

Lmy MenwdAng. w, 1915.

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UN Titi@ lidi-hn @litiitlGEo I CHARLES WHXTXNG'T BAKER, 0X MUNTLAR, NEWJERSEY.

METZ EOD OiE iil) APPRATUS FOB FEEDING LQU@ EURL it@ ElYITERHLCMBUSHQNENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application tiled. July 3l, 19m.' Serial No. mtitt fuel into the inletair passage in finely atomized form, and in proper quantity for allvariations ot speed and load, the-quantit of fuel delivered beingdirectly controlledyhy the operator or hy an automatic governor, whereasin the ordinary carbureter, the liqnid fuel is drawn in by the suctionof the entering air and can only he controlled by the operatorindirectly, by means of the throttle-valve on the air inlet pipe to theengine.

lin my improved method 'of feeding liquid fuel, a small rotary1 pump,driven by the engine, draws the llqvuid fuel from a reservoir and forcesit in a fine stream into con? tact with a stream of air or gas moving athigh velocity, through a contracted passage.

rl`he liquid iuel is atomized 1oy the rapidlyy moving air current, andis carried forwardv mingled with it as a tine tog into the inlet airpipe ot the engine, where it mixes with the entering air. l providemeans, as hereinafter described. for closely1 regulating the quantity ofoil delivered by the rotary pump according to the speed of the engineand the load upon it. lVhile the quantity of the air or gas used foratomizing will also var v according to the speed of the engine and theamount `of liquid to be atomized. close regulation is not necessaryhere, as my experiments have' shown that with a high velocity ot the aircurrent, only a moderate quantity of air is needed to atomize even thelargest quantity ot fuel that the engine can use. 'lhe volume ofatomizing .air should be suticient, however, to give a. high velocitythrough the contracted passage in which the stream of oil comes incontact with the currento air, without making the contracted passage sosmall that it is liable to accidental stoppage. l prefer also to use alow pressure for the atomizing air,

one to ten pounds per square inch, as higher pressures are not necessaryto give the required velocity for iine atomizing.

My invention will be understood by reterence to the accompanyingdrawings in f whichligure 1 is a side elevation of an automobile engineequipped with my improved means for fuel feeding; Fig. 2 is alongitudinal section or" the atomizer; Fig. 3 is a. partial sectionalelevation of a modification showing a means for utilizing exhaust gasesfrom the engine for producing the atomizing blast; and Fig. 4 is asectional detail ci the oil feed pum Similar re 'erence numeralsindicate similar parts in the several views.

fl`he engine shown in Fig. il comprises two cylinders l and 2, suitablyincased, and having inlet chambers 3 and l respectively, connected to a'common manifold or header 5 with intake tube 6. i designates the crankcase in which is journaled the driving shaft 8 and lay shaft 9 operatingthe valve mechanism in the usual manner.

A rotary `fuel pump 10 is attached to any convenient rotating part otthe engine. As shown in `Fig. l, the pump is driven trom the lay shaft 9through the speed-reducing gearing 11 and shaft 12, the. latter beingconnected to the pump through a variable ,speed friction drive,comprising a driving wheel l'slidahly mounted on shait l2, and a disk ittast on the shaft l5 of the pump. Illie purpose oi the variable speedfriction driveis to vary the amount ot fuel ted to the engine. accordingto the load upon it, and itV Voperates in the well-known manner, the

driving wheel propelling the driven disk 14 at variable speed accordingas the driving wheel yis near the center or near the periphery of thedislr. This 'torni of drive is tally illustrated and described in myapplication Serial h2o. 776,2l-, tiled June 28, 1913. The position ofthe driving Wheel is under the control of theoperator through a lever lewhich may he interloclred with, and move with, the throttle-lever 15through the rnedium oi a rod lo connected tothe throttlelever on thesteering wheel. By this means the rate oit feed ot the fuel `is directlygoverned. This fuel pump may he driven by suitable means trom any otherrotating part of the engine. Any suitable pump may he employed for thispurpose.v rthat shown in titi lid@

iltiti liti Fig. l comprises two similar gears 16 and 17 intermeshingwith each other and mounted for rotation in a tight fitting case 18. The

oil is admitted to the case through an inlet 19 and is carried by thegear teeth to 'an out'-l let 20, the gears being rotated in thedirections indicated by the arrows, by a gear on the shaft 15. Theliquid fuel is thus delivered to the engine in a' continuous stream inthe quantity requiredby the engine. To give a general idea of theproportion of the parts, if an automobile engine requires oneone-hundredth cubic inch of gasolenc per revolution at full load, and ifthe speedreducing gear is such that the pump, when the friction gear isset for highest speed, runs at one-tenthv the speed of the engine, thenthe 'pump should deliver one-tenth cubic inch per revolution. At lighterloads,

the pump willdeliver the same' quantity per revolution butits speed in`proportion to the .engine will be reduced by the friction gearing sothat the quantity delivered per engine revolution will be less.

The pump 10 draws its supply of fuel from a reservoir and can do thiseven if the reservoir is at a lower elevation than the engine, as mayhappen on an automobile or motor boat, so that no air pressure systemfor the reservoiris required.

It is one of the most important practical advantages of my inventionthat kerosene, or other fuel oils cheaper than gasolene, may be used `asa fuel when once the engine is heated, gasolene being used for startingonly. To do this I provide two reservoirs, one for gasolene and theother for the second fuel, having delivery pipes 21 and 21 respectively,which are connected by a three-way cock 22 to the suction pipe 19 of theoil pump. By alever under control of the operator, the cock 22 may bemoved, connecting the pump suction to either reser-y voir, or, ifdesired, to draw from'both and so produce a mixture of the two fuels inany desired proportions. r1`he liquid fuel is delivered from the pumpthrough pipe 20 to an atomizer 23.

1n order to prevent any possibility of leakage of the liquid fuel fromthe reservoir through the pump 10 into the atomizer 23- when the pump isidle, 1 prefer to place in the discharge pipe a small check valve 24kept closed by a spring 25, as shown in detail in Fig. 2. When rthe pumpis running, it delivers the fuel under pressure sutlicient to lift valve24 and force the fuel past it, but the valve is automatically closed theinstant the pump stops.

rlhe atomizer, shown in longitudinal section in Fig. 2, consists of acontracted throat in the delivery pipe 2G through which the atomizingagent flows whereby said atomizing agent is caused to pass through thissmaller passageway at high velocity. IThe liquid i fuel is discharged bythe pump through a pipe which terminates in this contracted throat, andthe oil as fast as it flows is atomized by contact with the 'moving aircurrent. The air carrying the atomized oil as a fine mist is dischargedthrough the outlet 27 into the center. of the intake G. A suitablebaitle 35 may be placed above the outlet 27 to facilitate the mixing ofthe fuel charged atomizing air jet with the more slowly moving currentof airdrann in by the engine. W

A convenient construction for the atomizer as shown in Fig. 2, is tomake it in the form of a T-coupling into the lower end of which isconnected the ,casing for valve 24 and spring 25, and into the arms ofwhich are connected the pipe 26`leading from the supply of atomizingagent, and outlet 27 extending into intake 6, said outlet having acontracted orifice as shown.

The air or gas under the necessary pres- Y Such a blower requires novalves, and will deliver a continuous stream of air at sufficientpressure to effect the atomizing of the oil fuel, the-air beingdelivered through pipe 26 to the atomizer.

ln an engine operating on the two-stroke cycle, the air under pressureto effect the atomizing may be taken from the scavenging air reservoiror the crank case. I prefer, however, especially where kerosene is to beused as fuel, to use hot exhaust gas from the engine for atomizing theoil. For this purpose, as shown in Fig. 3, a small hole is drilled intoone or more of the engine cylinders, and a pipe 29 extending through thewater space and leading to 'a reservoir 30 is inserted. The hole is solocated in the barrel of the engine cylinder 2, that it will beuncovered by the piston a short time bey purpose of the reservoir 30 isto change the l intermittent flow from the cylinder 2 into a continuousflow through the atomizer 23 and thence tothe engine. A screen 32 isplaced in the reservoir 30 between the inlet clog the atomizing passage.One end of the reservoir is removable for access to the interior, and arelietvalve 33 may be placed upon it to prevent over-pressure in caseenn plosions should occur inside the reservoir.

ln the apparatus shown in Fig. 3, l employ the same form of atomizershown in Figs. l and 2, the hot gas from the reservoir being dischargedthrough the contracted passage of the atomizer by a pipe 3l leading fromthe reservoir 30, and the stream of oil from the pump l is deliveredthrough the' pipe and check valve 24 into the moving current of hot gas.This stream of hot gas not only breaks up, by its mechanical action, thestream of liquid fuel into a fine fog, but by its high temperature, itvaporizes a part of the liquid fuel and thus carries it into the inletair passage in the best possible condition for thorough mixture with theentering air andfor complete combustion. lt will be apparent that thepipe through which the mingled current of'hot gas and atomized fuel isdischarged into the inlet air pipe may be placed in any desiredposition, ver tical, inclined or hori,zontalwauuzl` the inlet air pipeof the engine consequently may be placed in any position which thedesigner may lind convenient.

l/lhile l have shown and described the above'method' of and apparatusfor engine fuel feeding as applied to anautomobile engine, it isapplicable to any type of engine l using liquid fuels,

such as may be atomized by the apparatus above described.

lt will lbe understood, of course, that where the conditions require it,the variation in the rate of fuel feeding by the variable speed frictiondrive to correspond to varia- 4 tions in'load mav be made automaticallyby liti a governor mechanism instead made by the operator.

llVhat ll claim is A, Y

l. 'lhe method of feeding liquid fuel to an internal \combustion enginewhich consists in delivering a continuous stream of such fuel to theengine proportioned in quantity to suit the engine-s speed and the loadupon it, and subjecting said stream of liquid fuel to the atomizingaction ofv a current of high pressure fluid in such manner that the rateof flou" of said continuous fuel stream will not be affected by theaction of said atomizing current, and delivering said atomized fuel withthe atomizing fluid to the intake pipe of the engine. y

rlhe method of feeding liquid fuel to an internal combustion enginewhich consists in delivering a continuous stream of such fuel to theengine proportioned in quantity to suit the engines speed and the'loadupon it, and subjecting said stream ofl liquid fuel to the atomizingaction of a current of gas of being under pressure flowing from theengine cylinder in such manner that the rate of dow of said continuousfuel stream will noiJ be aheeted by the action of said atomizingcurrent, and delivering said atomized'fuel with the .atomizing fluid tothe intake pipe of the engine.

3. ln an internal combustion engine, the combination with means fordelivering a continuous stream of liquid fuel to the engine proportionedin quantity to suit the engines speed and the load upon it, of meanslfor atomizing the fuel by the action of a current of high pressuregaseous fluid, said atomizing fluid being so applied as not to affectthe rate of flow of the liquid fuel, and means for delivering said fluidwith the atomized fuel into the air intake pipe of the engine.

fl. ln an internal combustion engine having a throttle valve to controlits speed and power, the combination with .means for measurin anddelivering a continuous stream of liquid fuel to the air intake pipe ofsaid engine in quantity proportioned to the speed and power of theengine, of means for atomizing said stream of fuel by the action of acurrent of high pressure gaseous fluid without interfering with the rateof flow of said fuel and said duid, and means for delivering said fluidand atomized fuel into the air intake pipe of the engine below saidthrottle valve.

5. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with means fordelivering a continuous stream of liquid fuel to the engine, of meansfor regulating the quantity of said fuel according to the speed of theengine and the load upon it, means for atomizing the fuel by the actionof a current of high pressure gaseous fluid, and means for deliveringsaid fluid with the atomized fuel into the air intake pipe of the enginewithout affecting the rate of How of said fuel.

G. ln an internal combustion engine using liquid fuel, and controlled bya throttle valve, a liquid fuel atomizer discharging into the intakepipe of said engine below the throttle valve, means for delivering tosaid atomizer a continuous stream of liquid fuel proportioned to theengines'speed and load,

and means for delivering a current of gaseous fluid at high velocity tosaid atomizer.

7. ln an internal combustion engine, having an air intake, thecombination ofa liquid fuel atomizer dis-charging into said intake meansfor delivering a continuous lll@ lll@

liquid fuel, the combination with a pump driven by the engine deliveringa continuous stream of liquid fuel in quantity suited to the enginesspeed and load, of means for atomizing said liquid fuel in its passageto the engine, said means comprising a pipe through which a current ofgaseous fluid is caused to flow at high velocity and in which l thestream of liquid fuel meets said current,

charging into the air inlet of the engine below said throttle valve.

10. In an internal combustion engine controlled bv a throttle valve, thecombination with means for measuring and delivering a continuous streamof liquid fuel to said engine in quantity proportioned to the volume ofair passing through said throttle valve, means for atomizing said streamof fuel without varying its rate of flow by a jet of gas from the enginecylinder, and means for delivering the. atomized fuel and gas into th`eair intake pipe below the throttle valve. .f f

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES VVHITING BAKER.

Witnesses:

RAYMOND PLUNKETT, PAUL H. FRANKE.

